Tirai-Tirai Kehidupan

New conveyancing rules to protect property buyers, sellers : SINGAPORE - New measures to safeguard property buyers and sellers from rogue lawyers are expected to kick in on Aug 1.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Law Minister K Shanmugam reiterated that the amendments, which were passed by the lawmakers yesterday, were aimed at tightening safeguards for conveyancing monies held by lawyers.

Mr Shanmugam said his ministry will "continue to work in tandem with all affected parties to ensure a smooth transition for the public". He added: "We expect to bring the new system into operation, with phased refinements, starting from Aug 1."

In June 2006, lawyer David Rasif made off with about S$11 million of his clients' money - most of which had been entrusted to him by an American couple who wanted to buy a bungalow off Holland Road. In November 2007, lawyer Zulkifli Mohd Amin ran off with about S$6 million - some of it allegedly from a conveyancing deal. Both men remain at large.

Under the new rules, conveyancing monies will have to be held in special accounts, which will be offered by banks appointed by the Ministry of Law. Movement of funds within such an account will also be controlled: For instance, two signatories are required before any money is paid out, while clients will have to state the name of the law firm on the cheque when making payments.

An Electronic Payment Instruction service by the Singapore Land Authority will also be made available to facilitate transactions. For complex deals, lawyers representing the property buyer and seller can jointly open an escrow account. Clients who do not wish to deposit money with the lawyers can opt to have it held by the Singapore Academy of Law.

Lawyers who breach the new rules could be fined up to S$50,000 or jailed for a maximum of three months.

Said Mr Shanmugam: "Of course, no system can be absolutely secure against a determined criminal who chooses to flout the law. But we have made it more difficult for a crooked lawyer to try to abscond with conveyancing money."

Senior Minister on official visit to Hong Kong and China : SINGAPORE - Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong has made a nine-day official visit to Hong Kong and China, which began yesterday.

A statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry said that he will meet Chief Executive Donald Tsang and other prominent personalities in Hong Kong.

Mr Goh will attend the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan from Apr 13 to 16.

He will also visit the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city in Tianjin, where he will witness the signing of several Memorandums of Understanding by Singaporean and international investors in the Eco-city.

Mr Goh will also meet Tianjin party secretary Zhang Gaoli, mayor Huang Xingguo and other key officials.

He will be accompanied by a business delegation which will explore opportunities for investment and collaboration in the Tianjin Eco-city and the larger Tianjin Binhai New Area.

In Beijing, Mr Goh will call on Premier Wen Jiabao and meet People's Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan.

Issues of "mutual concern", EAS's direction, discussed in meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers : SINGAPORE - The Special Informal ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting ended in Bangkok yesterday, with the ministers exchanging views on the future direction of the East Asia Summit (EAS).

The ministers also discussed issues of maintaining ASEAN's central role in the EAS, and how the EAS can contribute to a stable and peaceful regional architecture, said a statement released by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo attended the meeting in the Thai capital.

According to the statement, the Foreign Ministers are open to the ASEAN leaders discussing current and relevant political and security issues at the EAS, and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the EAS process, particularly in the EAS priority areas and the Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia (CEPEA).

The Foreign Ministers also agreed that ASEAN connectivity is an important issue on the EAS agenda.

Talks were also held on regional and international issues of mutual concern, including developments in Myanmar, the border issue between Thailand and Cambodia, and the Fukushima nuclear plant crisis in Japan.

RSAF to join counter-piracy efforts in Gulf of Aden : SINGAPORE - For the first time, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has deployed a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Fokker-50 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (F-50 MPA) to support the international counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden.

Chief of Air Force Major-General Ng Chee Meng officiated at the send-off ceremony for the 38-man F-50 MPA detachment at Changi Air Base yesterday morning.

During its three-month deployment, the F-50 MPA detachment will be based in Djibouti and operate under the ambit of multinational Combined Task Force (CTF) 151.

The F-50 MPA will conduct maritime air surveillance and perform coordinated search operations to locate and investigate suspicious vessels.

The detachment comprises air, ground and communications support crew, as well as logistics personnel.

Since April 2009, the SAF has deployed two SAF task groups to the Gulf of Aden, each comprising a Landing Ship Tank and two Super Puma helicopters.

The SAF was also in command of CTF 151 from January to April 2010.

CTF 151 is currently led by Rear-Admiral (RADM) Harris Chan from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), who is supported by an SAF command team. Source : http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110412-0000464/RSAF-to-join-counter-piracy-efforts-in-Gulf-of-Aden

ica singapore, ica, ica.gov.sg : SINGAPORE ; ica, ica.gov.sg - Two hundred and forty Munia birds were found in a car that was stopped at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Thursday, by Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers. The ICA said in a statement on Friday that the Singapore-registered car ...

Flapping birds gave him away ...

SINGAPORE - Two hundred and forty Munia birds were found in a car that was stopped at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Thursday, by Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers.

The ICA said in a statement on Friday that the Singapore-registered car was driven by a Singaporean man who looked nervous and avoided eye contact with the ICA officers.

On checking the car, they heard flapping sounds coming from under the driver's seat and found the live birds, packed in plastic crates.

The 42-year-old man claimed he had bought the birds for religious purposes from a pet shop in Johor, Malaysia.

The man, the birds and the vehicle, were referred to the Agri-food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) for further investigations.

Travellers are not allowed to bring live animals, birds and insects into Singapore without a proper permit, the ICA and AVA said.

Importing any animals or live birds without an AVA permit is a violation of the Animals and Birds Act and carries a maximum penalty of S$10,000 and/or imprisonment for up to one year.